Civilian nurse at military hospital?

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I was wondering if any of you knew if military hospitals ever hired civilian nurses? If so who or what agency do I need to go through? Does it help that my husband is military? We are being stationed to Bangor, WA and there is a Naval hospital in Bremerton. I only have 4 months pediatric experience so I am pretty much coming in as a new grad. Do they usually have a good preceptorship program?

Thanks for any advice,

Megan

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Not sure how the civilian part really works from service branch to service branch but you may want to try these links:

Army:

http://www.cpol.army.mil/

Iv noted multiple branch listings but you have to wade through all the VA listings to find them:

http://www.usajobs.gov/

Also:

americajob.com

There are multiple contracting sites (do a goggle search).... Use caution though because some sites you find may not be legit.

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yeah they do hire civilians. i think you have a better chance if you are a military spouse. i was trying to apply in ft.bragg, but since i dont have any kind of experience, i didn't even have a chance compared to rns and such. but if you go to the base, you could go to one of their office and they should help out getting a job since your hubby is in military. i know in ft.bragg, the hospital was hiring new grad rns too..

try out this link :)

this is only for army though

https://cpolwapp.belvoir.army.mil/public/vabSelfNom/index.jsp

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I kind of agree with spouse in the military I would think that would be a plus.

Have you spoken with the chief nurse?

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When you apply through USA jobs there will be a question in the form of a check box whether you are an active duty spouse.. this plays a role in the total point system that is created to rank your competitiveness.

Yes you can go to the army CPOL site.. or the AF or the Navy site..however USAJOBS is the overall portal and as part of the application site and the 'additional application instructions' you will be routed to the additional site as well. I recommend using USA JOBS as your primary sourse (unless you only want to work for a specific gov agency or branch..) as it can create automatic job searches, holds your information and is pretty search friendly. Yes in the end you will need to create accounts at other sites based on the gov agency and such..

The other note is that the fed system is very slow and either has a closing date for application or a continious pool of applications - both are time intensive. The application process uses a computer software engine in many cases.. therefore key words are important as well as understanding and utilizing the KSAs to create your KSA statement. I'd check out a federal job book at your library for some examples..... I would also recommend applying and keeping a running tally of agencies you applied for. I've applied and had peers apply to many (Non-nursing) fed jobs and the lag time is often measured in 6 or 8 months to even get a response after the closing date. I hope that these cases were isolated and your search goes faster~

That being said if you have a given branch you want to work for you might apply to positions you are overly qualified for as well... as once you are 'in' the system you can transfer vertically/laterally with greater ease vs being an outside applicant.

v/r

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When you apply through USA jobs there will be a question in the form of a check box whether you are an active duty spouse.. this plays a role in the total point system that is created to rank your competitiveness.

Yes you can go to the army CPOL site.. or the AF or the Navy site..however USAJOBS is the overall portal and as part of the application site and the 'additional application instructions' you will be routed to the additional site as well. I recommend using USA JOBS as your primary sourse (unless you only want to work for a specific gov agency or branch..) as it can create automatic job searches, holds your information and is pretty search friendly. Yes in the end you will need to create accounts at other sites based on the gov agency and such..

The other note is that the fed system is very slow and either has a closing date for application or a continious pool of applications - both are time intensive. The application process uses a computer software engine in many cases.. therefore key words are important as well as understanding and utilizing the KSAs to create your KSA statement. I'd check out a federal job book at your library for some examples..... I would also recommend applying and keeping a running tally of agencies you applied for. I've applied and had peers apply to many (Non-nursing) fed jobs and the lag time is often measured in 6 or 8 months to even get a response after the closing date. I hope that these cases were isolated and your search goes faster~

That being said if you have a given branch you want to work for you might apply to positions you are overly qualified for as well... as once you are 'in' the system you can transfer vertically/laterally with greater ease vs being an outside applicant.

v/r

On USA Jobs does it do any good to place an open resume without actually applying for a job?

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JD you can place your resume on USA jobs and place the preference as "searchable" which theoretically enables others to search available resumes to find yours. That being said most jobs require additional specific requirements in addition to the resume such as KSA listing, online questionnaire, specific agreement to location, additional online application, etc so that unless you are a specific highly sought after group I think it would be less likely that HR is actively searching for you, asking you to complete the additional requirements when there may be other applicants that find the job - complete the requirements - and apply.

my 2 cents. I would recommend that if you are looking at a specific job ie nursing, within a specific branch, ie VA.. that you look at the job listing for several same jobs under same branch. Most likely the requirements are the same and you can tailor a specific 'package' and resume for that listing..it will take more time but then after you can have an automated search emailed to you weekly and apply for all positions at locations you like as soon as they come up... some front end work but better then waiting for them to find you.

v/r

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Which gives more points- being a vet or a spouse? Anyone know?

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Dreamon, I probably made a mistake, eligible veterans get bonus points... and spouses can get a preference.

My assumption is the preference would trump two otherwise equal candidates... check out usajobs and their faq it has a bunch of info..or log in and create account you will get a better understanding of your particular situation as it asks you a series of questions and you can see what special things you might qualify or not qualify for...

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Specializes in critical care: trauma/oncology/burns.

Hello RN2b

I know for a fact that the Army hires GS and contract nurses to staff all its Army MEDCEN. If you are looking to work in a a medical facility (ARMY) then write an email - subject matter: Army Nurse Civilian Jobs - to

[email protected]

Good Luck to you!

athena

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Dreamon, I probably made a mistake, eligible veterans get bonus points... and spouses can get a preference.

My assumption is the preference would trump two otherwise equal candidates... check out usajobs and their faq it has a bunch of info..or log in and create account you will get a better understanding of your particular situation as it asks you a series of questions and you can see what special things you might qualify or not qualify for...

From the USA jobs site at one of the Army positions I pulled up:

"You may claim Military Spouse Preference. Spouses of active duty military members of the Armed Forces may receive preference in hiring under this announcement if they are among the best qualified candidates referred for the position and are within reach for selection. If you believe you are entitled to military spouse preference, you must clearly identify your claim for that preference on your application. A copy of the military members PCS orders are requested at the time of application, however verification of preference will take place at time of selection".

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Anyone have any luck? I've applied and waited. Posted resume on Resumix, self-nominated, made resume searchable on USAJobs, emailed the above address! I really, really, really want to go to Germany (grew up there, ready to go back) and serve our servicemen/women and families! ANY further info would be awesome. Thanks...

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